


Burnout

by tendous_satoris



Series: Commissions [1]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: 4+1 Things, 5+1 Things, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, an abundance of heart-fluttering and hand-kissing, because that's just who I am as a person, commission, except it's 4, there's a very brief mention of blood but it's very blink-and-you'll-miss-it tbh, this is only rated T bc of Koga's potty mouth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 01:57:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20922272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tendous_satoris/pseuds/tendous_satoris
Summary: Burnout: fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 times that the UNDEAD boys find Anzu asleep somewhere on campus and take care of her + 1 time that she returns the favour[Commission]





	Burnout

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LazyRainDancer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazyRainDancer/gifts).

> This is a commission for LazyRainDancer!! Thank you SO much for commissioning me!! <33
> 
> Enjoy <33

**i. Koga**

“Go, Leon! Fetch!” Koga called out throwing the old tennis ball as far as he could, not that Leon had much trouble catching up to it. “This is so stupid. I can’t believe you _ like _this.”

Leon dropped the spit-covered ball at his feet, fluffy butt wagging in place of where a tail would normally be and beady eyes staring up at him in anticipation. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You learned it from Daikichi,” He grumbled, repeating the throwing motion, but for the first time in the 2 hours that they had been outside playing fetch, Leon didn’t race to catch it and slobber all over it. 

In fact, it seemed that a bush nearby had caught his attention instead. 

“Eh? What is it, buddy?” He asked, jogging over to where Leon was now sniffing the bush, digging through the leaves to find… an arm?! 

A face was quickly found as well, big blue eyes blinking up at him in that sleepy kind of confusion that you only really feel when you’ve just woken up and haven’t processed anything around you. “K... Koga-kun?”

“_ Anzu! _ ” He barked, grabbing her hand and dragged her out of the bush with what was likely a bit more force than necessary, not that he cared or anything. “The fuck’re you doing in there? Lyin’ in a fuckin’ _ bush _…”

Anzu glanced around, only just seeming to register that she was not, in fact, in her bedroom, but in the school’s back gardens. “... Sleeping.” She murmured in a tone that was somewhere between deadpan and sheepish. 

Koga rolled his eyes, dropping her hand and heaving a sigh. “Yeah, no shit. Why are you doing it in a _ bush _?”

“I… don’t really know.”

He couldn’t help but scoff at that, grabbing her wrist once again to pull her towards a nearby bench. 

“Er— What are you—“

“Sleep here instead.” He grunted, lightly shoving her onto the polished wood. “Sleepin’ in a bush is fuckin’ _ stupid _, you’re gonna get all cut up from the bushes.”

“Um… I… think I already did…”

Koga should really stop groaning and growling so much. He was going to hurt his singing voice. 

He glanced down, seeing her hands covered in small cuts, blood smeared on the palms, nasty and hard to look at. There was even a leaf stuck to one of them. 

“You’re stupid.”

“I know.”

“Do you have a napkin or wet wipe or somethin’? We need to clean them before they get infected…” Anzu shook her head, making Koga roll his eyes and reach into his bag to dig out the handkerchief he had borrowed from Kuro, along with a water bottle, the contents of which were immediately dumped onto Anzu’s hands as a substitute for cleaning them properly. “That'll have to do, I guess.” 

Her lips quirked up into a smile that _ definitely _ did _ not _make his heart flutter, no way. “The pink flower embroidery on your handkerchief is cute.”

“_ Geh— _ It’s not mine! I got it from Kiryuu-senpai!” He barked, feeling his face flush despite himself. He neglected to mention that he’s been avoiding giving it because of how much he likes the pattern himself— what Anzu doesn’t know won’t kill her. 

Anzu giggled as Koga gently wiped up the blood and brushed off the leaves. 

“What? You ticklish on yer _ hands _ or somethin’?”

“You’re so good at taking care of me, Koga-kun,” Anzu said in a tone that was _ way _ too far into the realm of ‘teasing’ for Koga’s comfort. 

He sputtered for a second, getting just enough of his composure back to growl out, “I ain’t _ taking care of you _, I-I’m just—“

“Taking care of me.”

“No!” He cried, unceremoniously dropping her hands. “Look, I’m all done with yer hands. Now lie down and go t’ sleep already.”

One last teasing smile was shot his way before Anzu laid down onto the bench and closed her eyes. 

“Goodnight, Koga-kun.”

“Er— night.” He grunted, stealing another glance at the transfer student. “… you don’t look comfortable.”

“Not particularly.”

“S’pose you want a pillow,” He mock-grumbled, looking around only to find that he had left his bag over where he and Leon had been playing fetch. “I left my bag over—“

As if he had been reading Koga’s mind, Leon took that moment to pop his little head out from under the bench where he had been napping, giving them a weird— almost excited— look. 

“Hello, Leon,” Anzu greeted softly, reaching over to scratch him on top of the head. “I didn’t see you there.”

“What is it, Buddy?” Koga asked, to which Leon answered by jumping onto his lap. 

That wasn’t the weird part. 

What was _ weird _ was that he immediately jumped off again, glanced at Anzu, and repeated the action over and over _ and over— _

“Oh my god, Leon, _ stop- _“ He barked, shoving the corgi off, to which he answered with a whine. “Do you wanna sit on my lap or not?!”

“I… think he wants _ me _ to sit on your lap,” Anzu murmurs, sending a rush of blood up to Koga’s face. “Or— maybe use it as a pillow? Is that right, Leon?”

Leon immediately perked up at that, tail wagging as if he had just been offered some of Koga’s food at the dinner table. 

Koga cleared his throat, pointedly avoiding looking at her little smile. “I, uh— I _ guess _I’d be fine with that. If ya want to.”

A last tiny giggle was heard before Anzu laid her head down, closed her eyes and seemed to fall asleep almost immediately. _ She must’ve been super tired to fall asleep _ that _ fast… _

He felt a little nudge on his leg, looking down at Leon’s stupid smug dog grin. 

“Oh, shut up, Leon. I’m not _ blushing _ , it’s just _ warm out. _”

If dogs could laugh mockingly, Koga was certain that Leon would be cackling. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**ii. Adonis**

“— and Kanata-dono proceeded to _ climb into the fish tank! _ ” Souma cried, (thankfully sword-less) hands flailing about as he told a story of the past weekend when the Marine Bio Club was banned from their _ third _ aquarium. “It was absurd! I am shocked that Hakaze-dono didn’t punch him again!”

“Yes, it sounds like it,” Adonis hummed, recalling the way Kaoru had stormed into their practice just that morning, looking like he wanted nothing more than to get out of there (really, Adonis was shocked that he was there at all). “Perhaps that’s why Hakaze-senpai seemed so… upset this morning.” 

“That _ disgrace _ was the one to get us banned from the second aquarium when he got so distracted by the jellyfish that he walked right into the touch-tank and knocked it over onto a group of school-kids taking a tour…” He grumbled, before heaving a sigh. “On another note, has Adonis-dono seen Anzu-dono? I’ve been looking for her everywhere since just after lunch began, as we were assigned to work on a project together, but I’ve been unable to find her.” 

“I don’t believe I have, no,” He replied, going through his memories of that day to try and remember if he had seen the producer at all that day, “I can help you look for her if you would like. There aren’t many places that she could be.” 

“I am far too busy at the moment, though…” 

“I will go alone, then,” Adonis offered, pushing himself off the chair. “I’m finished my lunch, anyway.” 

“Ah, that would be a great help, thank you! I wish you luck!” Souma shot him a grin, dipping his head in a miniature bow of sorts, before digging into his bag and handing him a lunchbox with Anzu’s usual wrapping on it. “Oh, and take her lunch.” 

“Thank you.” He didn’t question how Souma managed to get a hold of Anzu’s lunchbox. “See you."

And that was how Adonis ended up wandering the halls, checking every door he passed for the transfer student, probably looking like a little bit of an idiot. 

_ Where could she be…? _ He wondered to himself. _ There aren’t _ that _ many places, the last I saw her was— _

The classroom!

His theory was confirmed when he burst into the 2-A class (probably a bit louder than necessary, in his rush to locate her), finding her passed out cold, head on her desk. 

He was _ far _ too loud, Adonis discovered when Anzu blinked her eyes open, still clouded with sleep. 

“Good morning, Adonis-kun.” She murmured, lips curling into a soft smile. 

“It’s… the afternoon.”

Anzu’s smile fell, face morphing into a look of shock as she looked around in an attempt to regain her senses. 

“You’re in the classroom.” He explained, watching her visibly calm down, shoulders slumping. “It’s lunchtime. I-I just found you asleep on your desk…”

“Oh, again?”

_ Again? _“Ah, yes. I apologize for disturbing your sleep.”

She shook her head, smiling again. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have fallen asleep anyway.” 

“You seem… tired, though.” Adonis murmured, stepping closer and sitting in one of the desks next to hers. “One generally wouldn’t fall asleep in class if they weren’t.”

“I still shouldn’t.”

“Doesn’t Sakasaki-kun sleep in class a lot?” 

“_ He _shouldn’t either.”

“You’re right,” He couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Have you had lunch yet?”

She shook her head once again. “No. I’ve been asleep.”

“Ah, right.” He said, before holding up her lunchbox. “Well, while I’m not sure where he got it, Kanzaki gave me your lunch to give to you, so…” He gave it a little shake. “Would you like it?”

Anzu’s face lit up, mouth beginning to water the instant she laid eyes on it, nodding furiously. 

Adonis laid it onto the desk in front of her and opened it, seeing just about what he expected: _ onigiri _ , assorted vegetables, meat, and _ tamagoyaki _. 

“I made it myself,” Anzu said, a tiny hint of pride in her tone. 

“It looks good,” He hummed, picking up a little bit of meat with the chopsticks. “Very balanced. The meat looks especially good.” 

“Mm,” Leaning forward and accepting the food placed into her mouth, a small smile grew on her face. “My dad makes it the best.”

“I would love to try it sometime,” Adonis said, smiling back softly, repeating the action. 

They continued the motions, Adonis picking up food and Anzu eating it happily, the two of them making little comments along the way. Neither talked much, just enjoying each other’s company. 

It was only after they finished the vegetables that Anzu’s eyes widened, taking on a sudden look of confusion. 

“Is something wrong?”

“Why are you… feeding me?” She murmured, face taking on a slight pink tint. “I’m not sick or anything.” 

“Ah—“ At the moment, Adonis was glad for his complexion since he was certain that he was blushing as well. “You looked… cute. And small. I wanted to help you.”

“O-oh, I see,” Anzu’s flush was getting deeper by the second, he was starting to get a bit concerned, “Thank you.”

“My pleasure,” He murmured, glancing at the clock. “Now, it appears that class will be starting in 3 minutes, so I should get back to my seat…” 

She nodded. “Of course. A-and again, really— thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” In a rather bold move, Adonis reached over to give her a little pat on the head, making the both of them break out into grins. 

(They both also decided to ignore Subaru’s sudden _ pressing questions _ as he walked in and saw their little scene.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**iii. Kaoru**

“_ You have to come to _ class _ more, Hakaze-kun _ ,” Kaoru muttered under his breath, mocking Kunugi-sensei’s words from just moments before, “ _ Otherwise you won’t be able to keep your _ grades _ up _ , _ Hakaze-kun… _Psh, like I’ve ever had any trouble with that…” 

A figure caught his attention up ahead in the hallway, standing at her locker. 

“Koneko-chan!” He called out, his stroll picking up to a jog to catch up with her. “How’s it goin’? You haven’t come to any of UNDEAD’s practices recently, we’re starting to feel _ neglected _.”

Kaoru thoroughly enjoyed the little eye roll she gave him in response to his pout. “You mean _ you _ feel neglected?”

He grinned. “Okay, fine, ya caught me. I’m a _ great _ reason to come watch, though!”

Anzu sighed (he cherished the small smile he got out of her, though), reaching to close her locker, though she seemed to cut her own actions off with a bob of her head. 

“Woah!” Kaoru surged forward to grab her shoulders in an attempt to catch her once her head-bob turned into almost falling. “Are you alright? You almost fell…”

Anzu blinked herself awake, steadying herself on the door of her still-open locker. “I-I was fine…” 

“You definitely weren’t.” He murmured, crossing his arms. “You look _ seriously _ tired, Anzu-chan, did sleep well last night?” _ Or, like, at all? _

“I got, um, 3 hours…?” She muttered, rubbing at her eye. “I was up late working on a costume for Ra*bits, and one of the sleeves just… wouldn’t sew…”

“_ Hey— _ you’re fallin’ asleep again~.” He gripped her shoulders once again, this time a bit more hesitant to remove them. He couldn’t help but notice the bandages on her hands, evidence of how many times she must have pricked herself while sowing on so little sleep. “You should get home quick for a nap… We wouldn’t want our amazing producer hurting herself over a bit of lost sleep, would we~?”

The smile she shot him was almost guilty. “I can’t, I’m too busy, I have to finish some stuff…”

Kaoru sighed, feeling embarrassingly like a frustrated mother trying to make her teenager go to bed. “You can’t keep working on so little sleep, though. It’s dangerous. Look, you’ve already got cuts all over your beautiful hands.” He pressed a little kiss on the tip of one of her bandaged fingers to emphasis his point, grinning at her light flush. 

“I-I can’t leave school, though, I’m still working on some projects— A-and those aren’t even from sowing—“

“Anzu-chan, if you don’t shut up, I’m going to have to carry you to the nearest place for a nap.” 

“But-“

“_ Anzu _.”

“… sorry.”

Okay, that made Kaoru feel a _ little _bit bad about using the same tone of voice that he uses to scare little first years into getting out of his way in the hallway. 

He couldn't help but notice her little sway right after she said that, though, once again reaching forward to hold onto her shoulders. 

“Alright, well,” He muttered, “since you apparently _ can’t _go home, guess you’ll just have to take a nap at the school…” He thought for a moment. “How about the nurse’s office? I heard the beds are pretty comfy.” 

The tired scowl she shot him was enough of an answer. 

“Alright, alright, no nurse’s office,” He chuckled before an idea popped into his head. “In that case, I actually know the _ perfect _place. Is it okay if I carry you there? It might be easier than making you walk and all.” 

Anzu nodded, allowing herself to be scooped up bridal-style. 

Kaoru couldn’t resist grinning down at her, saying, “Hah, you’re like a princess or something. Huh, _ Anzu-sama _ ?” He purred with a wink, prompting yet another she’s-scoffing-but-he-could- _ totally _-see-her-giggling. “Guess we’ll be off then, Princess.” 

“Don’t call me that.” 

“But it’s so cute!” 

The rest of the 5-minute walk was made in relative silence, and Kaoru would never admit that it could have easily been a shorter walk had it not been for the fact that he’s always been _ really _ bad at finding the Light Music Club room. 

“Here we are!” He announced to the now-honestly-falling-asleep-in-his-arms Anzu, and the sight of her blinking awake was honestly so cute that he had to turn away to avoid her seeing his blush. 

“Rei-san’s… coffin…?”

“Yup! Sakuma-san never shuts up about how comfortable his coffin is, so I figured you might like it, too.” He gently laid her down onto the red cushions as he spoke, giving her hair a little ruffle afterwards as he stood back up. “I should probably be goin’, then, if you’re all good. I’ve got some relatives coming over for dinner… Not that I _ want _ to see my shithole of a dad, it’s not really my choice—” 

His little ramble was interrupted by a harsh tug on his pant leg. 

“— Eh? Anzu-chan?” He looked down to see a weird look on her face, a bit akin to nervousness. “Somethin’ wrong?”

“Um, is it alright if you… stay… actually?” She murmured, looking away from him, eyebrows pulled together and mouth pressed into a tight line. 

The sight of it just about melted his heart. 

“Of course, I’d love to~,” He chimed, resisting the urge to cheer in happiness about being given an excuse not to return home, “I’ll stay until you fall asleep~.” 

Anzu’s face visibly softened, features smoothing out into a look of relief. “Thank you…”

“No problem, sweetheart,” Kaoru hummed as he pulled up a chair to sit next to her. “How ‘bout I sing you a lullaby? I’m real good at them, you know.”

The excited smile she shot him fully insured that, yes, his heart was most certainly now just a pile of goo in his chest. 

“I would love that.”

“Awesome!” For the second time, he had to resist the urge to cheer, instead putting on a smile that dearly hoped was much more charming than giddy. “What do you want me to sing for you?”

“Err… what does Kaoru-senpai want to sing?”

“I dunno… none of UNDEAD’s songs are _ super _ fit for puttin’ people to sleep, and I doubt you wanna hear Feather Heartache since I’m a _ huge _ crybaby and will _ probably _ start crying if I sing it…”

“Maybe I want to see you cry.”

Kaoru snickered. “Oh, I’m sure that can be arranged for another day.” He said with a wink. “Not right now, though, we’re trying to make you— _ Wait _, you’ve been avoiding going to sleep, haven’t you?!”

Her guilty little giggle was enough of an answer. 

“God, Anzu-chan…” He groaned into his hands, but he couldn’t help but smile either. “Alright, guess I’m singin’ Feather Heartache, then— A special, _ never-before-heard _ acoustic version, _ just _ for you— and I’m blaming _ you _ if I start crying.” 

One last laugh was heard from the producer before she closed her eyes and shifted around to lie on her side. 

“Sleep well, Anzu-chan~,” He took her hand, placing a kiss on her palm before gently tucking it into her chest. He took a breath, modifying his voice into a softer, sultrier tone, and singing, “_ Jiyuu ni ikiru suburi de, mou zutto koko kara ugokenai…” _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**iv. Rei**

Finding Anzu in his coffin was _ not _something Rei had expected when he finally stepped into the Light Music Club’s room for a nap after school. 

Sleeping on her side, her face was the picture of peacefulness, breathing steadily and mouth parted ever so slightly. Hands tucked into her chest, with the small smile she was making in her dreams, Anzu looked to be a sleeping angel, blissful and serene. 

There was a tiny, childish part of him that wanted to disrupt that. 

Rei bent down, putting his lips just a centimetre away from Anzu’s ear and whispered, in his deepest and most menacing voice, “My, my, _ Anzu-chan _ , don’t you know that those who intrude on a vampire’s coffin get _ eaten~? _”

Anzu startled, sitting straight up and looking around in fear before her eyes settled on Rei and took on a much more unamused look. 

“Not funny, Rei-san.”

“_ I _thought it was funny,” He chuckled, sitting up, before shooting her a guilty smile. “I apologize for scaring you, dear, but I can’t help but wonder what you’re doing in my coffin…”

Anzu blinked, looking around in confusion for a moment as if she didn’t know either before a look of remembrance settled in her eyes. 

“Kaoru-san put me in here around… 3:45 I think…?” She murmured. “He said that I seemed overtired, and since I’m not able to leave the school right now, he put me in here to take a nap…”

_ Ah, that makes sense. _

“You’ve been overworking yourself again, haven’t you, Jou-chan?” Rei teased, though he couldn’t mask the concern he had for her. He knew far too well that Anzu had a _ very _ bad habit of neglecting sleep and food for her work as a producer. 

His thoughts were confirmed when she broke eye contact to stare at her laced fingers. “Maybe a little bit…”

“Ah, youth…” He mused, taking her hand and helping her sit up, keeping a palm on the small of her back to keep her steady since there was nowhere to lean back on. “Is there any reason that you can’t leave the school?” 

“I have to work on an outfit for one of Ra*bits’ upcoming lives,” Anzu explained, “since Tomoya-kun is busy with a play, and Hajime-kun is busy with schoolwork… and Nazuna-san and Mitsuru-kun can’t sow.”

“One would think that being close with both Shu and Kiryu-kun would teach Nito-kun a thing or two about sowing,” Rei mused, chuckling, “At least by osmosis.” That earned a giggle from the producer. 

“Er, what time is it, by the way?” Anzu asked after their bout of laughter. 

“Just past 8:00 PM.”

The gasped that ripped from her throat was almost violent, immediately trying (and failing) to push herself out of the coffin. “_ Crap _, I-I meant to have it done by 6:30—“

“_ Shh _, relax, love~,” Rei purred, gently pushing her back down, earning a confused and almost annoyed look. “How much time do you have left until the live?”

“Just over a week.”

“And how much left is there to sow?”

“Only Nazuna-san’s jacket and I’m almost finished.”

Rei felt a kind of excitement— giddy and relieved— bubble up in his chest from finally being released from the loneliness that was so often brought on by being the school alone at night. 

He allowed it to manifest in the form of what he hoped was a mysterious smile, though, taking Anzu’s hand close to his mouth and brushing his lips over the knuckles. “Well, I’ve been rather _ lonely _ here, you know, hanging around this place all by myself…” 

Her breath hitched. “Oh?”

“Indeed.” He glanced up at her. “Would you care to spend the night with a _ demon king? _” 

There was something in the amused grin that slowly grew onto Anzu’s face that made his heart flutter. “I would love to.” 

“Excellent,” Rei hummed, standing up and helping her out of the coffin. “I’ll show you some sights you would have never seen before~.”

As Rei led her through the halls, pointing out some of the little things that one couldn’t possibly have witnessed in broad daylight— “The courtyard is breathtaking at night, no?” “Agreed…”— despite her no-doubt enjoying the experience, he could feel Anzu’s growing uneasiness in how sweaty her grip was. 

“Is something wrong, love?” He asked, stopping to face her, not letting go of her hand. “If you’d rather return home, I’m perfectly fine with that. You would not hurt my feelings.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, no— no, that’s not it!” Anzu rushed to explain, free hand flying in front of her. “I’m just, um…” 

“Just what?”

“… nervous.” She finished, pointedly not looking him in the eye. “It’s… dark, and stuff. I can’t see very well.”

Rei felt a pang of sympathy ring in his chest as he looked down at Anzu’s steadily reddening face. 

“I understand. I often forget that not everyone’s eyes are as adjusted to the dark as my own…” He murmured, before taking hold of her other hand and stepping to completely face her. “But do know, Jou-chan, that I would never let anything hurt you. You’re completely safe with me. Understand?” 

Even in the darkness, Anzu’s eyes shined brighter than any star in the night sky. Rei was sure of it. “Yeah. Thank you.” She said, finally looking him in the eye and offering a weak smile. 

“No problem at all, dear~.” He simpered, mirroring her expression, reaching up to brush her bangs out of the way so he could press a light kiss against her forehead. “Now, I _ do _ believe that you should probably return home soon— I can escort you if you’d like— but there _ is _ one more sight I would _ love _ for you to see if you’re up for it.”

Anzu nodded, brightening to a grin. “Sure.”

“_ Wonderful _~.” 

Rei began to pull her forward, through the hallways and up the stairs, eventually coming to the door of the student council room. 

“Are you ready to see one of the most beautiful sights in the city?” 

Anzu nodded once again. “Of course.”

As Rei pushed open the door, revealing the big window showing a big beautiful night sky full of stars and constellations and planets, he heard Anzu’s stunned gasp and felt his heart swell more than he’s felt in a long while. 

And remember that thought of Anzu’s eyes shining brighter than any star in the sky?

Rei glanced down at the girl by his side, her eyes sparkling in wonder, and confirmed that _ yes _ , that was _ certainly _ true. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**v. Anzu **

_ Hokuto-kun’s jacket was sown… Keito-san has gone home so he’s not overworking himself… Eichi-san _ finally _ took his meds… _ Anzu ran over her mental to-do list for that day as she headed for her locker, hiking her backpack higher on her shoulder, _ Did I remember to have lunch today? _

“Anzu-san!” A voice called out to her. 

She looked up to see Wataru, who wore an oddly mysterious smile. 

“I found something you may want to see~,” He explained as he beckoned her closer, eventually pulling her into the doorway of the Light Music Club’s room. 

“What’s going on—“ She asked, only to turn around and find Wataru gone from sight. 

Though, once she actually looked into the room, she found something _ much _more interesting. 

All 4 members of UNDEAD, resting in somewhat of a makeshift dogpile on the floor, sleeping. 

How cute. 

“Guys…?” She called out softly after a minute or two, letting the backpack slide to the floor, almost hoping not to wake them up since they all looked so peaceful. “Are you awake?”

Kaoru was the first to stir, rubbing his eyes. “Eh…? Koneko-chan? What’re you doing here?”

Anzu froze, caught in the act. “Nothing.”

“Someone’s been watching us sleep, I presume?” Rei teased, sitting up onto his eyebrows from his spot at the top of the pile to give her a teasing wink making her flinch. “No need to act so surprised, dear, I’m only joking~. Not that I mind much, really.” 

“_ I _ mind,” Koga grumbled, attempting to sit up, only then seeming to realize that he was at the _ bottom _ of the pile. “Ugh— Adonis, get _ off _ of me! You’re too heavy!”

“That would require Hakaze-senpai to get off of me first, though.”

“And Sakuma-san needs to get off me!”

“Mm, I don’t know. I’m quite comfortable here.”

A chorus of angry “Sakuma-san!”s was heard, making both Rei and Anzu chuckle. 

“I’m only joking, children, calm down~,” He laughed, pushing himself off the pile (though not without a grunt from the other three), strolling over to wear Anzu was standing. “How have you been since I last saw you, my dear? You’re looking even better than normal.” He claimed, taking her hand and placing a kiss to the knuckles. 

“I’ve been… actually sleeping,” Anzu explained, a little sheepishly. “My family’s been making sure I get to bed on time… Oh— speaking of which…” 

All four boys moved to look to where she was digging around her backpack, producing a lunchbox with a bright purple wrap. 

“Adonis-kun,” She glanced up at him, where he donned a curious look on his face, “I told my dad about how you liked the food he made, and, well…” She held the lunchbox a little further out, prompting Adonis to take it. 

“Hey, the wrap matches your hair!” Kaoru pointed out. 

“It does,” Adonis hummed, smiling softly, though Anzu was sure that no one missed the excitement in his eyes. “Thank you, Anzu.”

“No problem,” She replied. “Ah, and before I forget—” Anzu once again turned around to dig through her bag, this time taking out a pink, flowery embroidered handkerchief. “I forgot to give this back to Koga-kun after he took care of me the other day.” 

The reaction was absolutely _ visceral _, with Koga’s face turning a vivid shade of red, snatching the handkerchief and stuffing it angrily into his back pocket. 

“I-I told you, it’s not mine! It’s Kiryuu-senpai’s!” He growls, storming off to the back of the room to shove it in his own back. “I hate the thing!” 

“Got any gifts for us, Anzu-chan~?” Kaoru asked, slinging an arm around her shoulders. 

“Oh, no, sorry.” 

“Oh, dear, and here I was, thinking that we were her _ favourite _ senpai…” Rei said, eyes flooding with honestly quite heartbreaking tears (she wondered if he had learned that trick from Wataru), wiping them away with his fingers, and Anzu found it impossible to resist the urge to rush to comfort him. “How _ cruel, _Anzu…”

“I-I’m sorry, Rei-san, please don’t cry—” 

“Oh, stop! Can’t you see you’re hurting the poor girl?” Kaoru interrupted, delivering a smack to Rei’s shoulder and pulling Anzu close to his chest. “_ You’re _ the one being cruel, here.” Koga and Adonis both voiced their agreement. 

“Ah, I’m sorry, I’m sorry~,” Rei said with a snicker, immediately breaking character and giving her an apologetic smile. “Forgive me, Jou-chan?” 

“Of course,” She giggled, before looking up at Kaoru with a smirk. “Besides, didn’t I say that I wanted to see _ Kaoru-san _ cry?”

He stiffened, looking basically anywhere but at her. “I can’t just cry on command like that, Koneko-chan— Well, I mean, I _ can _ , but I-I don’t _ enjoy _ doing it, it’s not fun—“

“Don’t hurt yerself, Hakaze-senpai,” Koga muttered. “Why’re you in such a rush to explain yerself, anyway?”

“N-no reason—“

“I can’t help but wonder why Anzu wants to see Hakaze-san cry…” Adonis said under his breath, looking thoroughly perplexed. 

“_ No reason _, Adonis—“

“What’s all the racket? I thought these rooms were supposed to be soundproof…”

All five froze at the voice from outside, slowly turning around to see Sagami-sensei looking at them all in confusion. 

“What are you kids still doing here? Club activities are all over now…” He mumbled. “Wait— Rei, were you _ crying _?”

The group erupted into laughter at that, though Rei’s was more of an awkward giggle, only making the look of confusion on Sagami-sensei’s face grow stronger. 

“Don’t worry, Sensei, I’m quite alright,” Rei said, “There’s nothing to worry about. As for why we‘re here…” He glanced at Kaoru. 

“We were here super late last night for practice, and ended up just kinda… collapsing during today’s afternoon practice…” Kaoru supplied, quickly letting go of Anzu’s shoulders. 

“Man, you guys should be more careful,” Sagami sighed, pulling out of the doorway. “I’m not even gonna ask why Anzu’s here. Anyway, make sure to be out here within the next 10 minutes, and clean up the room before you go, and stuff. See you guys tomorrow.”

“Bye, Sensei,” Rei chimed, barking out a laugh as soon as he left. “Goodness, I didn’t realize how late in the day it was… Would you like me to escort you home, Jou-chan?”

“After your stupid crying stunt? I dunno if we should let you.” Koga grumbled, though there was luckily some humour in his tone. 

“I can do it,” Adonis volunteered, “I can protect her.”

“Any of us can do that fine, Adonis.”

“I-I don’t need anyone to accompany me, guys,” Anzu murmured, picking up her backpack. “I should get going now, anyway…”

“Are you sure, Anzu-chan?” Kaoru asked. 

She nodded, smiling. “I’ll be fine. See you, guys.”

A chorus of farewells was heard as she headed out the door, heart feeling full and happy. 

Man, she loved those boys. 

  
** _fin_ ** **. **

**Author's Note:**

> Ahhh this was so much fun to write ;;; Kaoru especially his characterization is honestly a blast 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to kudos and comment if you did!! 
> 
> Catch me on tumblr @tendous-satoris and on twitter @ahhhshikiba~~ pls talk to me abt idol boys I'll cry
> 
> Reid out (◕‿◕)♡


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